The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-06
AN INVISIBLE GHOST.
Tho Terrible Adventure of a Famous
Actress.


nave failed to discover a case at once so
well authenticated and so terribly sugges-
hve of a spiritual life beyond the grave as
that which happened to Mile Claire Joseph
Leyris de LaTude, better known as Mile
Clarion, the famous actress of the Coincide
Franchise.
This noted woman. whom Rachel perhaps
alone eclipsed on the tragic stage, was born
near Condo in 1923, and died at Paris in 1903.
Certainly she owed more to art ard study
than to nature, for however pleasing and
attractive, and although gifted with the
rarest powers to stir an audience, she could
not be said to rival any of the handsome
women of her time.
Yet she welded an empire contrasted with
which that of Sarah Berr hardt, however
legitimate, sinks into insight icance. Mile
Clarion became not only the star of the the
atre, but the queen of Pdris When the
public fiocked to see her play, and followed
her with aduatiOn she retired in O manner
bordering on conte mpt; and wien her stage
companions rebLked her for appearing so
unfrequently on the boards, she retorted
with the dignity OF sovereign:
However seldom may perform, you and
the public are equally Obliged to me; remem-
Der that an evening of mine gives you your
living for a whole month";
An anecdote will show the Importance
and power of this remarkable tragedienne.
Freron, a well-lnoWn critic, gave carica-
ture portrait Oh the actress which was too
lite-like not to be recognized by ALL Mad
emoiselle Clarion at once applied for redress
20 the gentlemen of the Kings chamber,
and threatened that if this was denied she
would retire from the stage. An order was
granted by Louis XIV. for the conveyance
Of the satirical journalist to the prison of
Fort PEveque. As the poor fellow was at
that time suffering from a severe attack of
govt, his friends interfered and obtained for
him a suspension of the order till he was in
a fit condition to be removed. Of course,
the literary world exclaimed, as well it
might against this unprecedented exertion
Of the Kingly prerogatlve in favor of mere
actress, and the affair was for long time
the subject of conversation of court and
capital. Freron had powerful friends, but
the Minister declared he would yield to no
iutercession in favor of the journalist I'M
less it came from Mile Clarion her.
self Every one soon took part in the
quarrel. The Queen herself at length in
terfered in Frerons favor, and obtained his
pardon.
In 1743, when Mile Clarion was in all the
splendor of her youth and talent, she was
beset by a crowd of admirers, among whom
were a few upright single-hearted young
fellows whom she distinguished from the
crowding throng. OF these the one who
most deeply touched her heart was M. de S.,
the son of a rich merchant from Brittany.
He was about 80 years of age, tall and
possessed of handsome face and fine figure.
He wrote keen and clever verse, his CONVEX
sation and manner indicated a most careful
education, but his readiness to serve her on
all occasions and his expressive eyes alone
revealed his deep-rOoted affection to the al
ready great theatrical queen. After adj
hitting him to the green-roOm she allowed
him to be one of the guests at her house,
and soon left him ne longer in doubt as to
the genuine friendship which she felt toward
him. He, however, in candidly replying to
every question which her reason or curiosity
suggested, ruined himself forever in her
eyes, She learned, that, wounded at the
thought of being commoner he had rented
his estate in Brittany to come to Paris to
squander it under a more sounding title.
This displeased her. To blush at ones
origin, she thought, justified the scorn of
right-minded people. His mood, moreover,
was melancholy and malignant; he was too
well acquainted with men generally, he
would say, not to despise and avoid them ;
his object in life was to see no one else but
her whom he loved, and bring her to see
none other but himself. This displeased her
still more.
From the moment she discovered these
ruling traits in his character she saw the
necessity of reducing his hopes of consola-
ton that way to a minimum. The invita-
tions she had at first so freely rendered were
gradually reduced until they got to be quite
few and far between. This wrought SO
powerfully on his mind and feelings that he
fell ill, when the renowned actress nursed
him with every possible attention. But her
constant refusals to receive him as a sup
plant and to relegate him among her friends
and acquaintance deepened his wound and
poisoned his life.
Finally he recovered his property in Brit
tany but never his health and convinced
that she would render him service by sever
ing connection with him altogether, Mile
Clarion strenuously refused to receive both
his letters and himself.
Two years and half elapsed between the
day on which NJ. de S. first met the actress
and the day of his death. As his last mo-
ments drew near, he wrote imploring her to
see him one more; but her engagements and
surroundings prevented her from DOING so.
He died, in fact, with nobody near his couch
except his servants and an elderly lady,
whose company he had enjoyed for long
time past.
sAt the time this occurred" says Mile
Clarion in her memoirs, she was living on
the Rampant, near the Chaussee-d Antin,
where people were beginning to build. My
house was in the Rue de Buci, near the Rue
de Seine and the Abbey of Saint-Germain-
DESIRES. / had my mother with me, and
several friends who had come to supper.
My daily guests were a theatrical director,
who constantly transacted my business for
me with the gentlemen of the chamber
and the actors; the good Pipelet whom you
have known and cherished, and Rosely, a
young gentleman of good birth, full of wit
and talent who was friend of mine. had
just sung some pretty pastoral lays, which
delighted those who were present, when on
the stroke of II O'Clock shrill, piercing
shrek was heard. In gloomy meditation
and length it astonished every body. | sank
into swoon, and remained unconscious for
noarly quarter of an hour.
"The director, who was in love and jeal-
Gus, said with much humor, when recovered
my senses, that my love-signals were too
noisy
II answered him that, being free to re-
ceive whom | chose at any hour, signals
were unnecessary; and that what he called
love-signal was of too plaintive sort to
be the announcement of the sweet moments
that / might wish for. My pallor and
trembling, and the tears that came into my
eyes unbidden, coupled with my earnest re-
quest that the guests should stay by me
part of the night, showed that l was at a
loss to account for the noise. There was a
great deal said about what manner OF cry it
might be, and it was decided TO post persons
in the street to detect its nature and author,